Discipliship Is Costly

[Music] turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew at chapter 16 Matthew's Gospel at chapter number 16 commencing with verse number 24 through verse 26 Matthew chapter number 16 verse 34 25 and 26 then said Jesus unto his disciples If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul thank you you may be seated grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever discipleship is costly that's what I'm going to talk about this morning our theme in line with our 40 days of purpose campaign Purpose Driven Life campaign our emphasis for this upcoming week is discipleship and discipleship is costly because couch in that word discipleship is the word discipline and we despise discipline we don't want nobody telling us what to do we don't want anybody making any demands on us we're avail against discipline what what does it mean to be a Christian some people believe that to be a Christian means belonging to a church but if going to church can make you a Christian sitting in a garage can make you a car brothers believe that baptism our confirmation makes one a Christian still others believe that being religious and and morally clean is enough to allow one to even wear the name Christian to answer the question what does it mean to be a Christian let's look at the word Christian itself this word literally means the Christ ones or one who is like Jesus the word Christian is first used in the Bible in Acts chapter 11 and verse 26 in Antioch Syria because they were first called people of the way because the wing was following Jesus jesus said I am the way and so they will call people of the way but then the people in Abbey who were pagans call them Christians to insult them to criticize them it was it was not a term of endearment but it was a word of duration and and they hated them because they acted like Christ they looked like they talk like Christ and and Jesus reminds us here that if they hated me they're gonna hate you because the servant is no greater than his master and many of us do not like the discipline the yoke of Christianity because we want everybody to like us we want everybody to approve of us we want everybody to speak well of us we want plenty of likes on our Facebook page we want people to always say good things about us but but if you would live godly in Christ Jesus you will suffer persecution hear me brothers and sisters in this passage Jesus is talking to his disciples about his impending death he is immediately rebuked by Peter and Jesus uses this opportunity to teach them about the heart of real Christianity in verse 24 we get down to the heart of what it truly means to be a Christian if you would be my disciple he said you must first deny yourself take up a cross and follow me Luke says follow me daily deny yourself take up a cross and follow me deny take off that's Eris imperative which means take it up the drive once and for all and don't ever go back to that but that word follow me is the present imperative which means follow me in everything you do in every circumstance in every situation in every storm and every life moment follow me so in order to do that brothers and sisters you must first find your heart find your heart if Jesus Christ is not the center of your existence you need to find them before you leave here this moment if he's not the end-all and the beat all of your life if Christ is not Lord of all he does not want to be Lord at all find our heart If any man listen to me if any man will if any man will if any man with a volitional surrender of his will if any man will that word will gives you an option to withdraw listen to me in judges chapter 7 Giroux Bevelle who is Gideon was called by God to go and fight the Midianites I wish I had Bible reader here and the scripture says that Daruma Bell our Gideon gathered some people to go with him to fight the Midianites and that was 32,000 really when you get home God said Gideon you got two men go and whisper in their ears and say everybody who wants to go home leave right now and 22,000 said deuces I'm out of here thank you for the invitation they left went home never came back 10,000 were left God said you still got too many take him down to the river and I will test them for you I wish I had two three more Bible reading he said those who who get ready to drink and he jumped on in the water and splashing and just water all over their face put him on one side and one who get on one knee and drink and bring water up to their mouth looking at their surroundings put him on the other side and when Gideon got through with the Lord's test 300 were men which says to me this morning that when the 22000 left everybody does not want to be a soldier everybody who shows up don't want to be here I wish I had somebody to help me somebody is it because your mama made you come to church and somebody's there because you've been going to church all your life so all you go to do automatically on Sunday morning is get up and come to church that's not a good reason to be at church you help me preach this wanted and then of that ten thousand nine hurt 9700 were not qualified who a lot of foot water work in the church you just ain't got no church sense [Applause] talk back to me if you can because you don't do Church like you do HISD you don't do Church like you do share or Exxon how do you run your house or how you run your returning to your user this is the matter of tracks this is not the links this is not jack-and-jill this is not aka this is not dr. Sigma Theta whosoever will let him come and drink from the fountain of life freely all kind of people come to church who don't want to be here and didn't that some folk who here who want to work but they're not qualified and then he said you got enough for this 300 and they rabbit the Midianites because God don't need a church for the people he needs a people for the church and if you are full of Church God can turn this community upside down he will have no unwilling soldiers no any who does not come into the ranks of serving God with your eyes why do in other words God don't want you in here under false pretences this is not a show this is not an auditorium I'm not making a speech I'm not up here motivating you and entertaining you get rid of that entertainment philosophy and that nightclub mentality this is the living breathing active dynamic body of Christ and if you would be a disciple of Jesus Christ you've got to give up what you want to follow what he wants why are you here this morning what what motivated you to get up out of bed put on all this makeup and girdles and pantyhose and eyeshadow calm your head and drive on these bad streets get in this neighborhood because let it grow away on the way no way you got to find your way here you got it no way you're going to get here what made you go through all that you live an humble you live in in Galveston County you live in Missouri City Maryland what what drove you to come here this moment because if you're here for the wrong reason you'll get what you came for and if you're here for the right reason you'll get what you came for because you'll always get what you come after so matters here out of duty it's my Sunday to serve my team is on it's my Sunday to be a greeter it's my Sunday to be an usher my choir sings today that's so it's my duty to be here I gotta teach my Sunday School class I'm here because I have a duty that keeps me then somebody's here out of a happy Sunday morning is just like Monday morning you go to work out of habit lord have mercy it is Monday morning let me go try to make a dollar out of 15 cents then Sunday morning gets like that too after a while that you if you come here for the wrong reason well if it's the second Sunday the children sing the mean oh god no maybe red bananas won't preach it if I ain't here I'm not better than that somebody should have told me he wasn't gonna be here you come here out of habit looking for what you're looking for it's not a quad you got right there I just slipped a Mickey in your drink and you didn't even know what was going on then some people come to see and be seen [Music] Treach is a good place to network and hook up and get some digits find out who is who and who don't have whoo whoo I might be able to be who we that's the see and be seen and then someone you come here because you love this new building if with no money and you just love this this new building it's beautiful in its it's attractive it it stands out it's our true your name ain't even on the road this new building has you excited the only valid reason to a teacher not do they not have it not to see and be seen not because you love this new building the only valid reason to attend church is you love them all and you came here to worship and if you don't knock the Lord if you didn't come here to watch them I've got two words for you if you are a sinner you need to be saying and if you say you need to be sold out and I run that by you one more time if you are a sinner you need to be saved and if you already saved you need to be sold out I wish I had my 11 o'clock crowd here this one [Music] why does Lily Grove even exist in the first place there are only three valid reasons where this or any other church is open this movie to exalt the Savior to equip the scenes and to evangelize the sinner and if we are not exalting the Savior and if we are not equipping the Saints and if we are not evangelizing the sinner we are often under false pretences I [Applause] wish I had a witness I would um I would I was thinking odd if I went to ship lives and it didn't have any donors I would look askance at them if I went to McDonald's and they didn't have a quarter pounder I would really feel bad if I went that this is it and that was no chicken pigs feet grease running all down my arm my pressure all up I would really feel bad if I came to church and that was more worship we're not the West God we oughta take the sign down we're not gonna be disciples we ought to take the sign down we got enough members now we need some disciples If any man will come after me If any man look behind me he's got to deny himself find your heart dear brothers and sisters once you find your heart secondly you got to focus your heart for the disciples of Jesus the call to follow him meant the forsaking of everything else there is no discipleship without self-denial your life and mine boils down to nothing more than our priorities we go where we want to go we do what we want to do we follow who we want to follow we are willing to do what we love doing because whenever your heart is in that's what you don't find awkward you got again brothers and sisters if you if you know more about your sorority or your fraternity then you know about the Bible your life is out of balance come on help me preach it if your heart is more into some stuff that happens outside the church and when you get the church you almost fall asleep you need to get your priorities check if you want time for everything in your life and always late for church church it's not your priority I apologized to the leaders to the Deacons to the officers of our church that Sunday school teachers in the meeting once and I first of all I ask God to forgive me because I repented for making this foolish statement that I did not expect them or you to have the same level of commitment to this that I do and I made that statement for years until the Holy Spirit convicted me of that and I apologized to God for even making that stupid statement and then I apologized to the leaders of this church and I want to apologize as the members of this church because I do expect you to have the same level of commitment to this that I do because the same thing it takes for me to go to heaven it's going to take for you to go to hell talk back to me if you can that's no section in heaven walked off for pastors and preachers and then that's another section for members and Usher's the same qualifications that it takes me it's gonna take for you and just like I'm committed to it I expect you to have the same level of commitment to what kind of Christian are you that you can take it on easy you don't come good you didn't feel like coming this morning let's suppose God don't feel like waking you up to now all the doors God is open for you all the blessings God has showered on you all the plans God has answered for you all the dumb laws God has made for you you are here this morning not because you went to college not because you've got money in the bank not because you work you in right from you're here today because of the Lord's mercy some of you remember the little girl I don't see you at anything but Sunday morning you are not involved in anything but Sunday morning that's beautiful sad you are nominal peripheral marginal and if you didn't show up this thing was still going which means something wrong with your commitment wherever I work everybody works the river and I got to keep my grandbaby that's God's children we have not tired if I don't take care of myself and nobody else will God will take care of you yeah and please don't even talk about these 18 to 40 year olds these young adults because you you you got to know but if you between 18 to 40 chances are your food [Music] because you look for them and they on a cruise all the stuff they want to do and I think we need to be doing this at the church and the church ain't doing this and the church ain't doing that that's why I don't go to church because they need doing nothing what what age you thought I was when I started working in the church I started preaching at 18 pastoring at 20 I've never had a young adult life all my sinning I had to do in church because I've been in church all my life somebody ought to help me preach it and then also who working here they didn't start whipping when they got all they've been serving God all their live the scripture says remember your Creator in the days of your youth while the evil days come not nor the years strong man sad God why are you strong serve God while your mind is clear serve God why are you pretty and fine why you got your health and strength so that when you get wild encourage somebody else be thou faithful unto death and I will give you what why push ahead a Bible reading for the night is coming when no man can work what are you where are you why don't you focus in and stop trying to please everybody and stop trying to be all things to all people because you wind up being nothing to nobody the folk who gonna love you gonna love you anyway and the folk who don't didn't love you to stop with you ain't gonna miss what you never had if God can get you up to go to work you ought to get up and come to church and not just come to church on Sunday you ought to be here for the preference feel campaign you ought to be involved in a ministry there are almost 40 ministries going on at this church and you a in whatever you mean it's me nothing here that you can do oh I don't know what the problem is you want to be a superstar but God told me to tell you you don't have to be a star baby [Applause] to be in my show just so up on sudden he use the same people all the time that's because that's who's Charles I show up and we can use you but we can't use you at the club at the spa we can use you in the Bahamas we can use you watching America's Got Talent we can't use you at somebody else's church ci quad you got again I'm just visiting I don't guess I almost said a bad word [Music] mrs. brothers and sisters I worked on this I want you to hear this that I practiced this I want you to hear it we think too much of the cross as an instrument of reconciliation and forgiveness and too little of the cross as a way of life let me say that one more time I gotta say it again because I've practiced it we think too much of the cross as an instrument of reconciliation and forgiveness and too little of the cross as a way of life because what we call cross bearing is not really cross bad your mother-in-law is not your cross your crazy son is not your cross that that piece of job is not your cross old age is not your club your cross is you're trying to do lie and then line on you you try to serve God and then on the parking-lot plotting against you that's a cross you try to give God your backs and they're speaking evil of you bearing a cross means sometimes you got to give up right for wrong you know it's wrong but you just go on and three about it stay away from it don't don't participate in it but at the same time sometimes you got to let folk have that wing in order for you to give God glory because if you argue with a fool we be able to tell the difference the cross is not just an instrument of reconciliation and forgiveness the promise is a symbol of how you live your life my brothers and sisters this word kind of falls on deaf ears not not deaf ears but what kind of softens when we hear it because when we think about a cross we think about a symbol we think about something to be worn around our neck or something we need to be put on our belt or something to tattoo on our ankles we're on a bracelet a cross for us is is is some kind of amulet or some kind of beautiful trinket if either gold or sterling silver a cross for us it's just a pretty piece of jewelry but the first century of people who heard this when Jesus said take up a cross when they heard that they knew immediately he meant to come down Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book the cost of discipleship says there when Christ calls a man he cause him to come down and when they heard the word cross when Jesus talked to them about the cross they knew that he meant in that was the blend you may lose your life for what you believe you may lose your job for what you believe you may lose some friends for what you believe you may be kicked out your family because of what you believe and if your faith does not bother people then your faith in worth too much because if you really and a disciple you gonna make some full angry with you Bible says be careful when all men speak well of you something about you has got to annoy the devil you got a trouble the different you got to worry the devil and if you are not traveling the devil or if the devil is not troubling you is because you're not troubling him you're not a disciple because you come to church every Sunday you just remember let me grow how do you know disciple that's a middle yeah just like you a member of some some fraternity you a member of some Civic club you member of AARP that's that's membership in that stuff has its privileges but membership in the church has its responsibilities too many of us are looking for privileges with no responsibilities talk back to me if you can shy on Sunday morning because you might get a chance to appear on the jumbotron or you'll be on television next Sunday morning at six o'clock there ain't no reason to come to church no no no no God what's wrong of you then Sunday morning attendance because sadly our team attendance could be due to habit to see and be seen or you just want to net and hook up and you know this is a place to be this place to do that this new is it's going on it's the new thing happening right now but soon is wheeler open in new church you won't be over there and then the newest craze that comes along you gone over there the newest philosophy that's going on you going over there and I hear young people say that all the time I just I just have to go because I'm I'm going to another level that's that's the word now I'm going I'm going to another level yeah that's that's what they tell me when you leave I'm going to another level I say oh you you go on through the church where the pastor TiVo's my son [Applause] that's that's that's where you going so when he leaves you he go to his house and listen to me preach oh yeah oh yeah I don't blame you I'd go over there too so he can preach all my experiments to you we are so fickle and so so fractured him and so brittle that that the least little thing that comes along destroys our faith and tears up our courage and messes up our culture stop acting like a child when I was a child Paul said I felt like a child I understood like a child I spoke like a man I put away childish things some things are not bother you after you 1516 years old everybody talking ain't talking about you you ain't that important so it's all online so much they don't like you like yourself to dinner cell phone and speak to yourself be comfortable in your own skin God made you who you are like yourself love yourself not being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine stop letting the slight cunning of men turn you away from the things of God I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back no turning back the world behind the cross before me I wish I had a witnesses don't none go with me still I will found you can have the whole world just give me Jesus you can't make me mad enough not to shout on Sunday mom you can't bother me enough not for me to get here and give God the glory because I don't come here for you I come here because I need mercy I haven't got a witness I come here because I want to worship God for the many blessings that he just loose in my life and somebody here like me God has just gone wild blessing me did you hear that I said there's somebody here like me God has just gone why blissing me I gotta ask the Lord what's the matter with you giving me all this grief no good as I am no doubt as I am you still opening doors you still make it a way out of no way and you think I will stay home morning cuz somebody made me mad Frank your heart focus yard to deny yourself means the subordinate your appetites and your desires to God's will made known for us in Jesus Christ self-denial does not mean asceticism and self-flagellation as was often inferred in medieval monasticism God is not calling us to clyster in the sanctuary like we are in a monastic we're not to cluster in a sanctuary like we are in a monastery but we ought to come here and get full of God's holy spirit and go out and live what you heard me preach you're gonna get hurt you're gonna be taken advantage of people will act like they love you when they don't we will pretend to be your friend to just get something out of you but what does that matter you ain't serving me you serving God we drive I will stop with driving yesterday and this man was on the side of the road he had a sign that said ah I don't know I don't want to work I just want to be see after he brought on his side I don't want to work I just want to be here I gave him two dollars I say have one on me matter of fact I'm going for him and getting one myself it's hot I need to refresh myself and then help them with water he and I enjoyed ourselves these these these these opportunities for service I know he'd taken advantage of I believe was using but he was upfront about it he was not like some of my family and some church members who got a trick up his sleeve he just said I ain't ain't working I just want to drink mess up go out to him go get to drink on me and listen when you when you serve God after a while you kind of get in a rut because it looks like you're not going anywhere look like you're not making any progress and you take two steps forward and three steps backwards but cheap walk because obedience is not stopping and stop it obedience is to just keep on walking even when you can't see what the road is going to be never got a witness here God does not pay you for starting and stopping he pays you for finishing you all not being more committed to outside stuff then you are the Jesus Christ you're not getting all your outside stuff out the way and say when I get through with this then I will started working in the church you might not live that long I can't I can't be here because of my contract I can't be here because of my responsibilities you know when you think they're smart they shake the head because of what you think God is intimidated by your intelligence I mean you actually think that God is in heaven scratching his head because you went to school he made it possible and then he's gonna be intimidated by your little infinitesimal mind no no no no stop making all of these excuses because that's what they are you just makin excuses because you want to do what you want to do everybody in here can do exactly what they want to do if you don't go to church if you don't get involved in ministry that's because you don't want to get involved that's simply because you have made up your mind I'm gonna be a Sunday morning marginal peripheral member of Limi Grove and if I feel like going i'ma go if I don't feel like going I'm not gonna go what are you gonna do to me I ain't gonna mic pray for you Mike pray for you but-but-but you don't intimidate God because God has until this morning to meet his match nobody makes a fool of God be not deceived God is not mocked that's what that scripture mean nobody makes a fool of God you reap what you sow and you're gonna get out of it what you put in find your focus your heart last word follow your heart follow your heart those of you here like me can't remember if you're not too old you can remember when you were first dating and coding when you first fell in love with your intended you remember I know they've been that long it's been 18 28 40 years but you can still remember you you would fall asleep on the phone and she said hang up you said no you hang up and then you say hang up she said no you had gone back and forth on you open the door for her when she get ready to get in the car pull the chair back when y'all get to the restaurant open the door and let her go before you and now y'all been together about 26 29 years you get in the car and she's still outside [Applause] you you go in the door you need a left outside the girl she used to cook for you and you would tell her how good it was nicely cooked and prepares and put it on the table and see how is it you see I'm eating it and you still you still you still got it you still love her the fire's still there is just burning Lord my mama used to tell us Lord that fire under my pop the devil the Lord that fire under your pond and you used to burn with enthusiasm for God and for church and we couldn't beat you getting here and shouting and praising God but now God's been so good to you you got too much that's why you and shout like you are the child God's been too good to you that's why you sitting down there like you don't know who it was that brought you but don't forget the same God who puts it out there can watch you come down from there and so how to praise God well I gotta change because I don't just give God glory for self I felt down to who you listen to me we are called to lay something down pick something up and leave something out I'm through we are called to lay something down deny yourself means to completely disowned you to utterly separate yourself from you let me marry up and say it sounds hard because it is the salad does not want to be denied that's why it's hard to fast because the body does not want to be denied food that's why it's hard to do right because the cell wants to do what it wants to do somehow helped me appreciate the body the self is determined to have its own way and so Paul says I beat my body that I made make it my slave my body doesn't get the best of me I got to get the best of it he said we are in a race and it's not a 100-yard dash it's a marathon you got to run not tell you get tired but till you die you got to work you gotta tell somebody come to take your place but wait till you're done faithfulness is not starting and stopping it's being involved in it even when you don't get any credit for it [Applause] because we can get twice as much done if we quit worrying about who got the credit it's not about credit because it's about reward when you stand before God I'm looking for credit I'm looking for a reward getting a brother/sister he is no fool who forsakes what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose he is no fool who forsakes what he can't keep to gain what he can't lose Nike just shouted me the other day with a commercial with Colin Kaepernick and as much as I admire Colin Kaepernick and what he's doing and and what black trails are doing that black athletes are doing in the NFL and in other sports it's always hard and strange to me that that the flag that represents freedom is freedom as long as you do what white people want you to do but but the minute you stand up against brutality and against corruption and against degeneration then you are unpatriotic one of the founding fathers of this country I need to I need to get on TV and tell these people is that one of the founding fathers of this country Patrick Henry said I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to see that's what it means to be an American and Nike is being castigated by the President and members of the larger community because they are standing with Colin Kennedy but but but here I'm not I'm not trying to get him a job I'm not I'm not trying to get in the NFL I'm not trying to do none of that all I'm saying is I like the slogan because it ought to be in the Bible it's written on Colin Kaepernick's face in the ad and it ought to be in the Bible it says believe in something even if you have to lose everything believe in Satan even if it costs you everything that's discipleship [Applause] savage on me cost me something I'm gonna do it anyway come on I'm gonna be the only one left with my family but I'm gonna still served up my body might be rockin with sickness but I'm still will serve God my eyes right your dim in my hearing little dull and my footsteps get shot but I'm still gonna serve them serving the Lord he's gonna pay off not just after why but I've got some blessings right now he birdies my life from destruction he satisfies my mouth with good things he renews my strength like the Eagle if you want to see your life saw start serving God like a disabled you got to lay something down but then you gotta pick something up you got to pick up a cross you gotta die to yourself you've got to put yourself in the background I got this the God wants I want to go here but God says go faith I've missed out on a whole lot of family stuff cuz I've had to preach the ghost a wife first wife walked out because I would not listen my commitment to this church but everything I love God me to them everything that I thought had gotten away from me God made it up I need to tell somebody here this morning it may look like you're losing but if you trust God he'll make it up I need some witnesses here this morning would you help me testify has Bauer knock knock has down out of here that they everlasting God the Father the creator of the ends of the earth he friended yeah there's no section of his understand the power to the weak the same that had no money he increased his vestry even the youths shall faint and grow weary and the young men shown but a little but they that wait upon the moon shall renew their strength with wings like eagles learn and not get weary you know walk reven I used to see this and he had it wrong because his theology was off but I'm a quote reven addict in the spirit of the Bible Reverend I used to say you can't lose with the stuff I use he had it all wrong help us prosperity gospel but but as a Christian as a believer as a follower of Jesus Christ you can't lose with the stuff I use he walks with me he wakes me up in the morning he puts food on my table he makes my enemies my footstool he opens doors that were closed in my face when it looks like I can't make it another week he gives me strength to keep on going when I get depressed he comes in to cheer me up when I'm down he comes to lift my spirits but I don't know which way to turn he shines his light in my situation when the storm is raging in my life he quiets it with his hand you can't lose with the stuff I do I'm through I'm waitin on hero to preach at 11 o'clock I'm through but there's nothing so precious as Jesus to me let earth with his treasures be gone I'm rich as can be with my Savior I see I'm happy Jesus but now I'm happy with Jesus alone I'm happy with Jesus along the poor and deserted thank God I can see I'm happy yes I am I wake up that I go to bed happy I sit down at the table happy I Drive in the neighborhood I walk down the street happy I mean so who don't you want to shake my hand I'm still happy I'm just shaking anything I need nobody man I just shake their hand cuz I'm happy you ain't gonna make me stop singing Amazing Grace you're not gonna make me angry enough not to give God all my service I am a destroy an imitator a learner a student a pupil of Jesus Christ [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: lillygrovembc

Views: 76,154

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Id: FxrqL42oK4c

Length: 56min 55sec (3415 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 25 2019